Early Q3 of 2019 sees the release of the new Ryzen 5 3600X: a hex-core, 12-thread, PCIE 4.0 enabled processor. AMD are releasing five new CPUs based on their latest Zen 2 microarchitecture which features a 7nm manufacturing process that delivers approximately 13% better IPC than the previous 12nm Zen+. For workstation builds the 3600X is viable, however, the $200 USD Ryzen 5 3600 represents a better value proposition, especially for consumers who are willing to overclock. The additional $40 USD for the 3600X buys 200 MHz of extra base and boost clock: 3.8 / 4.4 GHz for the 3600X vs 3.6 / 4.2 GHz on the 3600, this translates to approximately 2% higher overclocked performance for 20% more money. The 3600X ships with a more powerful Wraith Spire cooler (compared to a Wraith Stealth on the 3600). Comparing the 3600X to Intel’s overclocked flagship i5-9600K shows that although the 3600 has 29% faster 64-core speed, it is around 11% worse for gaming (sub eight core performance). Additionally, the 3600X's memory controller, although significantly improved over previous Ryzen iterations, still has limited bandwidth and high latency which can also impact gaming. The arrival of Zen 2 marks the end of the "Sandy Bridge (i5-2500K)" era, Intel can no longer rely exclusively on their single-core advantage to dominate the market, they must also compete on price. [Jul '19CPUPro]

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